Contact us on (02) 8445 2300
For all customer service and order enquiries

Woodslane Online Catalogues

9781421453545 Academic Inspection Copy

Chinatown

San Francisco's 1906 Earthquake and the Paradox of American ImmigrationPolicy
Description
Author
Biography
Table of
Contents
Sales
Points
Google
Preview
How disaster remade San Francisco's Chinatown-and revealed the limits of belonging in America. San Francisco's Chinatown is the oldest Chinatown in North America and one of the largest Chinese enclaves outside Asia. Spanning 30 city blocks and home to tens of thousands of monolingual Chinese residents, its endurance is remarkable-especially given how close it came to erasure. In this fascinating history, Dafeng Xu uncovers the contested history of this vibrant community, focusing on the transformative period surrounding the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed 80 percent of the city, including Chinatown. White San Franciscans saw the disaster as an opportunity to permanently displace the neighborhood. Instead, Chinatown was rebuilt-but not without conflict or consequence. Using detailed census data and other historical documents, Xu examines how this rebuilt Chinatown differed socially and physically from its earlier form-and the many ways it stayed the same. He explores whether the earthquake shifted patterns of segregation, if and how Chinese immigrants navigated pressure to assimilate-including adopting English, changing their names, and leaving ethnic neighborhoods-and whether they gained economic ground in the city's new landscape. Xu's study reveals a striking contradiction: while Chinese Americans were often criticized for not assimilating, systemic barriers made that very process nearly impossible. The post-disaster Chinatown became a symbol of cultural resilience, shaped by both community agency and persistent exclusion. Rich in insight and original research, Chinatown offers a powerful look at how disaster, racism, and resistance shaped one of America's most storied immigrant neighborhoods.
Dafeng Xu is an assistant professor at the University of Washington.
Preface Introduction Part I. Chinatown at America's Crossroads Chapter 1. From the Gold Rush to the Earthquake Chapter 2. The Ladder of Americanization Part II. The People and the Place Chapter 3. Gender, Marriage, and Family Chapter 4. Language Chapter 5. Residential Segregation Chapter 6. Identity Chapter 7. Occupations Part III. The Old New Neighborhood Chapter 8. Decomposing the American Dream Chapter 9. Chinatown Beyond San Francisco Conclusion: Revisiting the Old New Neighborhood Appendix: Ethnic-Specific Occupation-Based Earnings Notes Index
How disaster remade San Francisco's Chinatown-and revealed the limits of belonging in America.
Google Preview content